by Mary Catherine Craig on May 30, 2023
Arts & Entertainment
While PC students are sad about leaving campus and their friends as summer approaches, another summer means the return of some of life’s greatest pleasures. Sunshine, seeing friends and family at home, free time, and best of all: new music. Summer is arguably the best time to listen to music, with warm weather and the windows down. One of this year’s most anticipated albums is set to release right at the start of summer; that is, The Show by Niall Horan.
Niall Horan is a 29-year-old Irish singer-songwriter who came from humble beginnings. His professional career began when he competed on The X-Factor at age 16. Horan was one of the lucky five contestants who were chosen to form a group with each other. He, along with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik came together and created One Direction. While the band came in third in the UK singing competition, they signed a record contract under judge Simon Cowell shortly after the show’s finale. Less than a year later, the group released their debut single, the ever-recognizable “What Makes You Beautiful.” The song was a major success and the band immediately rose to fame. When the album was released internationally, the boys became the first band from the UK to have their debut album hit number one in the United States. Horan participated in four more albums with One Direction before the band’s official breakup in early 2016.
In September 2016, Horan began his solo career when he released his debut single, “This Town” under Capitol Records. The second single (“Slow Hands”) came in May of the following year. Both singles were a success, breaking the top ten on Billboard charts. The full album was released in October 2017 and landed a number one spot. Horan’s second studio album, Heartbreak Weather, came in 2020, but the tour was canceled due to the pandemic. Despite the cancellation, Heartbreak Weather still made it to number one on the UK charts and number four in the U.S.
Now, after an almost three-year hiatus, Horan is back with more music. The singer-songwriter took to Instagram for the announcement of his third studio album, The Show, set to release on June 9. The album will include 10 tracks, the names of which have been released on his Instagram. The album’s first single, “Heaven,” was released shortly after the album announcement, and became Horan’s seventh song to make it to the Billboard Hot 100. Just last week the second single off the album was released, titled “Meltdown.” In a podcast called “Every Single Album,” Horan explained how the new song is deep in meaning, but is set to a very high tempo to mimic the fast-paced heartbeat one might feel during times of anxiety. Regarding the rest of the album, Horan created an album trailer, released on various social media platforms, where he spoke about the creation of the album and his relationship with the music and his fans. The video opens with a thank you to his listeners for being patient with him, as he has spent the last 18 months working on this new record. He admits to nerves, saying that it is scary to be away for so long, and he hopes the fans still like what he has to share. Horan also opened up about how incredibly special the record is to him, explaining how the music is a reflection of where he is in his life at the present moment. He encourages his fans to make the music their own, saying, “these songs are for you as much as they are for me.” Horan closed the trailer with another thank you to his fans and welcomed them to the new era of The Show.